As seen on Collective Evolution, dopamine is a neurotransmitter which regulates the brain’s centers for reward and pleasure. It also balances emotional response and movement and it helps us not only to see rewards, but to take the necessary action to achieve them. Nowadays, there are countless of articles on the internet on the topic of dopamine and how it influences the mood, energy, focus, etc., but a less tackled subject is how dopamine is impacted by our perception and also the subject of the reasons for low dopamine levels.
In case your dopamine levels are also low, make sure to check out the following 8 ways to boost dopamine completely naturally!
8 Tips to Elevate Your Dopamine
- Be more creative
Enhancing your creative drive is an excellent method to elevate your potential for good mood, achieving goals, and being more inspired through your accomplishments. Working on a project which is inspiring you is known to activate your flow state. So, what is something that truly inspires you and you feel excited to do it? Start doing it now!
- Work out more
Exercising on the regular is beneficial because it is known to decrease stress and to boost your productivity levels. When you work out frequently, you will boost the creation of neurotransmitters. And, remember, you do not need any strenuous exercises to achieve this, a simple daily jog or a brisk walk will do the trick.
- Remember to listen to music
Listening to our favourite music makes us feel content and happy and it will elevate the dopamine levels in the same way our favourite food or favourite TV show do. So, the next time you are feeling down, put on your favourite music and dance the sadness away in your favourite pyjamas.
- Try meditation
When done on a regular basis and properly, meditation is potent enough to help you enhance your dopamine levels. It will remove all mental disturbances and help you learn how to be more present in the now and make you feel more fulfilled for just being alive. Remember, everyone can meditate and meditation is considered to be one of the best ways to strengthen your awareness of what is good for you and what is not.
- Elevate your tyrosine levels
Tyrosine is the building block of dopamine and it is therefore a crucial protein. To have more of it, up your consumption of foods rich in it like avocados, bananas, almonds, beef, chocolate, chicken, eggs, coffee, green tea, yogurt, and watermelon. However, it is worth pointing out that food should be considered a reward, not a chore and you should use foods as a pharmacy for the brain. Tyrosine will increase the dopamine levels and thus, help you feel better and more focused.
- Avoid becoming addicted to things
Becoming overly addicted with something, whether to drugs or alcohol or to something that may seem harmless as shopping, this behaviour has the opposite influence on the dopamine levels in the long-term. To illustrate, becoming too obsessed with something will kick our reward circuitry into overdrive and we will have bigger cravings for this “quick” hit. Unfortunately, this is not a healthy way to boost your dopamine.
- Checklist more
Being more organized and being able to finish tasks timely is known to elevate our dopamine levels, regardless of how small or big the task is. Therefore, instead of worrying about things that you need to do, write them down and check them off as you go. Believe it or not, it has been shown that physically checking off things from our list is satisfying for the dopamine levels.
- Keep a streak going
Similarly to having a checklist, streaks can be excellent visual reminders of how many days in a row you have been doing or achieving something. So, in a calendar, write down the goals you have and the days or the month for when they are due. If you are doing yoga on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, mark them on your calendar and as you are done with your daily session, add a streak. This will naturally boost your dopamine!
Sources: